Another Ignorant piece from an ignorant Christian

I had to post this, just because it bothered me alot.
So many people think like this, and it's freaking ridiculous.
So much of this article is blaringly idiotic and inaccurate, I can't even begin to tear it to pieces.

"In light of the many recent attacks by anti-Christian and atheist groups on God, Jesus Christ, and the Bible, I thought it would be worthwhile to revisit the piece and update it for our time. There's no telling how many children have driven by a billboard that denounces Christianity as a lie or have viewed a television ad poking fun at their faith. These children deserve the same affirmation that Pharcellus gave young Virginia so many years ago.

Dear Mr. O'Leary,

I am nine years old. Some of my friends in school say there is no God and that Jesus Christ is a myth. They get this information from TV and so do my two little brothers who are six and seven.

My brothers have been so upset seeing the billboards on TV. They don't like that their Christmas parades and parties have been changed to winter parades and winter parties. What is so wrong about Christ or Christmas?

My father has read your books and says if anyone can answer this for me it is you. So please tell me the truth. Is there a God?

VIRGINIA O'HANLON

VIRGINIA, your classmates and your brothers have been made afraid by people who are angry at children who believe and at parents who have tried to raise their children in the best of moral ways. They have been taken advantage of by a small group of people who are affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe what they can't see. They think that nothing exists that is not comprehensible by their minds. "

Replies to This Discussion

So I'm supposed to be immoral because I do not believe in "God"? Didn't the pedophiles hidden by the "Catholic Church" take advantage of children (disclaimer: I am not saying everyone with that church is a pedophile, but all of the Popes over the centuries have covered up for these predators because of bad publicity.) Didn't the Christian churches state that if you gave them a boy they would give you back a god-fearing man (by indoctrinating them into their beliefs while they are naive enough to believe anything taught to them.) Do these folks honestly believe that they have a comprehensive understanding of their own belief..?

I am a father of four children, and out of respect for my wife's personal beliefs and my own, we have not taught them much in the way of religion on the whole, but informed them when they have questions about other people's beliefs and that everyone is entitled to believe what they want. I have explained that I do not share others beliefs in (insert topical religion here) and that I respect everyone's right to believe what they want as long as it does not harm others. While I have not had the need to explain about some extremists beliefs that I find dangerous to others, I will deal with them harshly as they come up so that my children will understand that no one has the right to violent actions against others in the name of their beliefs and that such actions are antisocial and that rehabilitation from those beliefs are probably not possible.

Fanaticism, brainwashing, and extremism to such levels must be dealt with in this world like a cancer that must be cut out. Humanity must not tolerate such dangers to its body on the whole, whether they are in the minority or majority of the population, humanity must be allowed to grow out of (or evolve from) superstitious beliefs that have no basis in fact. I feel that the radical or fundamental factions that wish to cling to such childish notions are free to separate themselves from the rest of society and live out their lives peacefully with the rest of the world. However, if they should cross that line and choose to force others to embrace their beliefs by force or attempt to exterminate others in the name of these basic beliefs, then they should be publicly put down like the rabid dogs they are and eliminated.

Sadly, children are the real victims of these "Holy Wars", since they have no power to resist these dangerous ideas. It is my hope that once my children are adults they will be educated enough and wise enough to make an intelligent decision about what they want to believe. It has been wisely stated that Atheism is the conclusion of thought, where religion is perpetuated by upbringing. It has also been said: "Guns and god are forever, you're going to know this world without them" - Gowan from the song 'Guns and God.' I'd love to see this world free of religion, racism, and class-ism, but we just seem to find more and more ways of labeling and separating each other into groups.

"Yes, Virginia there is a God, but you won't find Him in a book..." "...People will try to tell you He's not inside you and He's not inside me and they will point to their book to prove it, but books were written by men and men have an agenda. Open the pages of your heart and you will find God there."

Last I checked most religions have books written by men... must not apply to those books.

I hear this bologna all the dang time, put prayer back into schools? As I have said the prayer was never taken out of schools for the children to bow their heads and pray if that is what they want to do. It was just made so that an officiator could not officiate the prayer.

Which you would think that most Christians would be happy about that fact. You don't have to worry about a catholic screaming hail mary's or a pentecostal speaking in tongues and telling your kids unless they practice religion that way they are doing it wrong.

We have to drive by their churches, they knock on our doors to convert us, they talk to our kids with out our consent, and we are supposed to be ok with this? This is not supposed to offend us? They have billboards up all over the place explaining why even religions that follow the same damn books are wrong and theirs are the only one that could be right. Then they write negative comments, crash our fourms, and act as if we are the a@@holes of the world.

Because we say prove it, you cant even get along with one another let alone any one else. they blame everything on us, when it was most likely their bickering and complaining about teachers and principals from different denominations that caused the prayer in school crap anyways.

RT from Randal Milholland: "Nothing says Christmas like the pope saying child porn was once "normal" http://tinyurl.com/275ox8p " I have to agree with Randal's sarcasm, and I think that the Pope and Catholic Church as a whole have much to answer for...

Your friends should base their belief on supported facts and it is true that there is no reasonable evidence to suggest the existence of God and there is much proven evidence that shows much of what is purported by the Bible to be false such as creation. There is no evidence to support such an idea and much evidence supporting the opposite.

There also is no evidence Jesus existed at all but what is the message of Christmas? Peace on Earth and Good Will towards all? Now those are admirable goals but they are not just Christian goals and almost all religions have similar teachings. Islam, Wicca, Buddhism, Judaism, Jainism, Shinto, etc. all push us to be our best and to be kind and fair to others however do we need religion for that.

No my dear child. We should do good and be kind and compassionate because it is a reflection of the best that we as humans can achieve. Look at the world around you Virginia and see it's beauty and understand that you yourself breathe the air that flows around and you eat the nutrients that come forth from it. These nutrients are made up of elements that came from the earth which was formed billions of years ago from the forces that gave birth to the sun. We humans, the animals and the earth itself are the distant relatives of stars. We are a part of the each other, the animals, the earth and we are part of the universe. That fact that we are all one with everything and that science tells us that and it can be proven makes me celebrate and it makes me want to be so very happy to be alive.

So yes we must be good to each other and to the animals and to the earth because we really are one and you don't need make believe for that because the reality of it all is even more wonderful and more beautiful.